This H13 True HEPA filter only needs to be replaced once a year when used regularly, so you won’t have to worry about spending money on a new one every few months. The Levoit Vital 200S air purifier is not a small and dainty unit by any means; it measures 15.6 inches wide with a depth of 8.5 inches, and it’s 19.8 inches tall, and weighs 13.2 pounds. This is an air purifier that is hard to beat, especially at such an affordable price. From the intuitive app with its
wide range of functionality to the stylish sleek design, the Levoit 400S packs a lot in for a mid-range purifier. We particularly like the ability to review historical and present air quality via the app through the handy charts, along with the functionality to schedule your purifier to work around a busy family day. A QR code included with the manual allows you to access the VeSync app (opens in new tab) to control the purifier and monitor air quality data.
With its 3-stage filtration system of pre-filter, H13 HEPA, and Activated Carbon, this unit makes light work of pollutants, seen with its colossal CADR score of 410 CFM. It’s easy to forget the occasional obligation of replacing your purifier’s filters—set a calendar reminder. Purifier manufacturers typically recommend annual replacement, but check the manual to be certain; some call for less frequent or more frequent replacement. A budget contender, the Levoit LV-H132 performed poorly
in our tests, reducing particulates in our 200-square-foot test room by just 60% on high, in contrast to the 92.6% reduction that our small-space pick, the Levoit Core 300, achieved on medium. One of the keys to the AP-1512HH’s performance is its build quality, particularly the tight fit of its prefilter and HEPA filter. The prefilter captures large particles, such as pet hair and lint, that would otherwise block the HEPA filter and reduce its ability to capture fine particulates.
The pollen count seemingly increases each year, so if there’s any chance pollen could be an issue, this sleek air purifier can take care of it. Indoor allergies and my experiences in graduate school definitely were in mind when I finally decided to purchase an air purifier after I moved to New York City. Ease of use refers to just how user-friendly and intuitive each machine is to operate.
The first thing we did was get out a stopwatch and time how long it took to go from the unopened box to have the machine up and running. Needing minimal effort to assemble, it only took our testers two minutes to get the Core 300 set up. After evaluating the air quality, a colored LED light ring around the display illuminates a certain color to communicate current conditions.
Coway includes an excellent breakdown of this type of filtration on its website. At about $100, the Core 300 is inexpensive up front, but it is not an energy-efficient purifier, especially for its size. The Core 300 draws 34.6 watts on medium (and 31.8 watts on low), while the much more powerful AP-1512HH draws just 8.1 watts. Running the Core 300 on medium speed 24/7, you consume about 303 kilowatt-hours per year; the filters also need to be replaced every eight months.
Finally, the manual for the “large room” Z3000 does not offer CADR numbers, but with a claimed ACH of 2 in a 750-square-foot space, it’s barely half as powerful as our large-space pick, the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ (3.5 ACH in 750 square feet). Yet it costs far more up front, with a price tag of $400 versus a usual $300 for that Blueair model. In our 2019 tests, in just 30 minutes the Blue Pure 211+ reduced a heavy load of 0.3-micron smoke particles by 99.3% and 98.4% on high and quiet/medium, respectively, with filters that had seen eight months of 24/7 use. With new filters, it reduced particles by 99.3% and 99.2%, respectively. A year later, with those same filters—far past their recommended six-month replacement schedule—the numbers barely dropped, reaching 99.1% and 98.0%, respectively. Those results make the Blue Pure 211+ one of the most efficient air purifiers we’ve tested, as well as one of the most consistent on different settings.